Senate OKs Former NASA Boss to Lead Ailing Agency

The Senate approved James C. Fletcher by an 89-9 vote today to head the nation’s troubled space agency, overriding charges that he is a NASA “insider who was part of the problem.”

The vote cleared the way for Fletcher, 66, to serve again as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a post he held in the 1970s--when the space shuttle program got under way.

Most senators lauded Fletcher as the ideal candidate to head NASA as its seeks to recover from the Challenger disaster and last Saturday’s failure of the usually reliable Delta rocket carrying a weather satellite.

But critics contended that Fletcher, as a former administrator, contributed to the current problems.

‘Friendly Old Insider’

“We don’t need a friendly old insider who was part of the problem,” said Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton (D-Mo.).

Critics cited recent press reports in contending that Fletcher’s 1971-77 term as the NASA chief was marked by--as Eagleton put it--”price gouging, poor equipment testing, sacrificed safety measures and an unwillingness to correct deficiencies.”

But Fletcher’s supporters said the former president of the University of Utah could restore America’s sagging space program.

Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), chairman of the subcommittee on science, technology and space, urged senators to confirm Fletcher “so we can restore our space program to unchallenged superiority.”

Dispute Criticism

Gorton and other supporters of the nomination disputed the criticism of Fletcher.

Gorton, the Administration’s floor leader for the nomination, said charges that Fletcher had misled Congress in estimating the costs of various space programs were “unfair and misleading.”

Fletcher had the backing of the Senate Commerce, Transportation and Science Committee.

After the panel voted 15 to 1 last week for confirmation, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.), said, “I think the fellow is just what the doctor ordered,”

But Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.), dubbed Fletcher, who was at the helm of the shuttle program when it began, a “NASA retread.”